Deadly Secrets
by Demi-Leigh
Summary: When Bella moves to the English countryside with her Uncle she thinks she's in for a scene change but does this mysterious manor have other ideas? Oh, and what about that dashingly handsome stranger?


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters as they are the lovely Stephanie Meyers but I do own the storyline however._  
_**

_Like one, that on a lonesome road,_

_Doth walk in fear and dread._

_And having once turned round walks on,_

_Turns no more his head;_

_Because he knows, a frightful fiend_

_Doth close behind him tread._

_C.S. Coleridge_

Chapter 1

"Ar' ya' sure ya' know where ya' goin' Bella? It looks like we're in the middle 'o' nowhere. "

"_Yes_, Uncle Benny, I already told you only five minutes ago we'll be there in a few and _no_ we're not lost."

"Okay, okay no need ta' jump down me throat" he chuckled and I laughed along with him.

It was a beautiful day in England as I drove up an extremely long driveway with my Uncle next to me. After two months of mix ups I had been sent a distressing letter in the mail explaining that a distant Aunt passed away suddenly and that her will had been read and I was now the proud owner of her old estate. It shocked me that I had any other relatives other than my loveable Uncle Benny and it startled me, I took a couple of days to mourn the loss of someone I never new and would never know and then I packed my bags and left my tiny apartment behind me.

I was really excited now as we reached the front of the house, it was a beautiful two storey light-brown, brick house, it had garden beds on either sides of the mahogany front door and it had deep green ivy creepers that were slowly surrounding the downstairs windows. I stopped the car and both my Uncle and I stepped out and stretched our cramped legs, it had been a three hour drive from the London airport to Sevenoaks in Kent and the car Uncle Benny had hired, which was an old Chevrolet, was definitely on the small side. As we made our way to the front door I noticed a slight movement in the top floors window. When I took a closer look there was nothing there so I shook my head and searched in my purse for the key the lawyers had given me, when I opened the door it slightly creaked and I recoiled from the smell that was emanating from the dark house beyond.

I quickly covered my nose and face as I made my way over to the windows that I was near, if this place was to be inhabitable it would definitely need lots of air freshener and in general just a very good airing to get rid of the strong musky scent it had accumulated from being closed up for so long. It turned out my Aunt had passed away longer than we thought.

"Uncle Benny can you help me open some windows" I muffled out, quietly chuckling to himself he shuffled over to the far windows across the dark foyer, he was always such a cheery person.

"So what do ya' think o' the place, is this what ya' expected?" asked Benny

"No, no it's not." He frowned at my statement but quickly recovered when I continued

"It's so much better."

By now I was grinning from ear to ear and he could see the excitement in my eyes, I couldn't wait to start cleaning and get this place up and running, it would be beautiful.

"Do you want to take a look around?" I questioned enthusiastically

"Yeah, sure why no', should be interestin' to see the rest o' the house" quickly grabbing Benny's hand, we bolted to the first room, it looked like it was meant to be the living room but all the furniture was covered with dust-clad white sheets. Still excited to see the rest of the house I dragged Benny to the next room and the next and the next, we eventually made it through the first floor after an hour and a half. Nobody had taken down any of the photos that Aunt Theodore had placed around and I was surprised to see some photos of my mum and dad and I when I was much younger, sadness swept through me as I brushed away the gathered dust on our smiling faces.

"I think I might go an' find a chair now, I'm nearly dead on ma feat" Benny said though gasps

"Okay but don't blame me when you get the bad room" I giggled and made my way upstairs, the top floor wasn't much different than the bottom floor except that it was now the bedrooms, the library and the study. As I walked past the old windows I slightly gazed out the window and drew in a quick breath; the garden outside was stunning, it was as if somebody had kept constant care of it even after the place was deserted and closed up. There were several patches where roses grew towards the sky and some where the flowers would barely even reach my ankles but the most stunning area was the large dark green maze. I would probably only ever view it from afar because my biggest fear would be getting lost and dying of starvation. Ha! As if. I'd probably trip and break my neck.

After getting an eyeful of the beautiful garden and promising to spend most of my time in the safer parts, I turned and made my way into the first bedroom, it had a high ceiling which held a very dusty chandelier in its center. There was a large wardrobe made of mahogany in one corner and a matching dresser next to it, both very old and would most likely cost a fortune if I were to buy them nowadays.

Leaning against the side wall was a huge king sized bed, it had beautiful carvings on the headboard and up the side posts which led to a large canopy of red silk. The carvings were of several roses and other flowers all intertwining around poles that looked like ones off a carousel. As soon as I lay eyes on this room I new it would be mine, I knew my Uncle would probably prefer the other room because it was closer to the bathroom if he needed it during the night.

Still quietly giggling to myself from my previous thought I walked over to the wardrobe and opened the door to look inside, I was instantly startled and fell to the ground as a group of moths poured out of the closet, in a flurry of grey and white, straight into my face, I let out a startled scream as they hovered around me for a few moments and then disappeared into a small hole in the ceiling.

"What in the world was that all about!" I shouted to myself, "Note to self, get mothballs." As I got myself of the floor I could hear running feat and I new it was Uncle Benny.

"Are you alrigh' kiddo"

"I heard a thump and then a scream, wha' happened?"

"Well I opened the wardrobe and all these moths attacked me" I replied, smiling sheepishly as I brushed myself off and he roared with laughter.

"An' here's me thinkin' that you was being attacked by somethin' that was actually dangerous." Benny again roared with laughter as I walked past him my head held high, maybe too high as I tripped on a loose floorboard, sighing to myself I knew I was never going to live that down.

It took Uncle Benny and me four days to clean, as best as we could, the downstairs area and the two bedrooms we had chosen and after another long day of cleaning I decided it was probably time to stock up on some food for the now clean pantry and fridge. On the drive here I had noticed a small corner shop about a mile and a half away that would probably sell some of the main items until we could make a trip into the city. Too tired to walk I hoped into my little rented car and after several tries finally got the engine started.

It took me about five minutes to reach the store and when I got there, there weren't very many people which was good because I would be able to get in and out without too much commotion. Being new in a small town gets around fast, thankfully our long driveway stopped many off the older folk from bringing cakes and who knows what else. I was brought back from my thoughts by the sound of a horse neighing, I quickly glanced around and my eyes came to rest on a beautiful chestnut mare but that was not what caught my full attention. Sitting atop the horse was the most beautiful man I had ever seen, he had dark bronze-colored locks that hung in his face from the breeze that was blowing, and his eyes were a deep shade of green which were fringed by dark lashes. He wore riding boots and a three quarter black jacket which in my opinion made him look dashing. I had to keep reminding myself that Uncle Benny was probably getting worried and most likely hungry and that I should hurry up before he felt the need to come after me. On foot. Before I turned to walk into the shop I caught a glimpse of a very pretty girl who came skipping out and rushed over to the man, she looked to be the same age as me but it was slightly difficult to tell because of her youthful figure. He gently lifted the beautiful pixie-like girl onto the horse and gripped the reins tighter slowly bringing the horses head in the other direction.

_How could you think that a perfect man like that wouldn't be already taken_? I mentally chided myself while slightly blushing at the direction of my thoughts.

I was nearly done when I overheard the shop owner and a local talking, what caught my attention was the name of the manor I now lived in. Curious as to what they had to say about my new home I leaned closer around the packed shelves, the owner was the first to speak in his gruff British accent.

"Yea, the ol' girl died recen'ly. Mysterious death tha' one was, they say she died in her sleep but I reckon it were something more than tha' "

"How do ya' mean?" the local asked

"Dunno, just have this bad feelin' bout that manor. I reckon it's haunted or sumthin' " he ungracefully shuddered and I knew it was time to make my presence known, I slowly moved my way over to the counter, thankfully without tripping, as the local left the store. I quickly made my purchase and left the store, as I drove home I thought through all I had heard…and seen.

After making dinner Uncle Benny and I crashed for the night, when my eyes closed all I could see was the green-eyed stranger and all I could think of was his unruly bronze hair as the wind swept through it.

_I was walking through a slight fog and everything around me was dark apart from the path right in front of me and the surrounding bushes. Startled I realized I was in the old maze I had seen when I first arrived which was quite strange as I had vowed never to step foot in it alone. Even knowing this and the nervousness running through me it was as if my feet had a mind of their own as the carefully treaded onwards. _

_Deeper and deeper I went and darker and darker it got, the silence ringing in my eyes as loud as if a trumpet were blaring instead. There was no movement or even an end and I began to panic, my panic turned to walking faster which soon turned into a run as I frantically tried to find my way out. I was running and turning and running and turning until I finally reached a dead end, knowing I should turn back I spun on my heels and came face to face with the man I had seen earlier. His hair seemed to glow even though it was still dark and his eyes had a luminous glow as if lit from within. He was standing in front of me and I noticed he was far taller than me as I only came to his shoulders which made me tilt my head slightly back in order to see his face clearly. His face was as perfect as I remembered from earlier, the angular jaw, the startling shade of green that were his eyes, the soft lips that were now pulled into a slight grin and the amazingly broad shoulders that had my hands itching to touch and hold. Shaking myself out of my daze it finally occurred to me that it was quite strange seeing him in the middle of a maze in my backyard. It really didn't make sense at all but shrugging it off as a stroke of luck I went to ask him why he was here but I found I had no voice. My mouth was open and moving but no words or sounds were forming, seeing the rising panic in my eyes the man's grin grew until it was a breathtaking crooked smile, full of delight and mischief. This only made my panic grow more as I grasped my throat, hoping that I could maybe squeeze a sound out. _

_I was stopped though when his smooth hand encased one of my own and I felt an electric jolt course through me all the way from my head to my toes. This feeling was very new, I had never experienced it in my life, but somehow it felt safe. Almost like home. Deciding to see what he was going to do I felt him tug on my hand softly, encouraging me to follow him. '_He must know the way out'_ I thought to myself as I walked behind him, his black shirt hugging every muscle of his back and his black jeans and boots almost like a second skin. The feel of his hand around mine had completely wiped away all the panic and fear from earlier and replaced it with a sense of peace and sereneness until we turned the corner and I saw what was before us. Two small wooden doors had been flung of their hinges and were lying just in front of where we had stopped and in the opening there were shapes and forms moving in a black fog. Nothing could be recognized but I was getting an uneasy feeling about this, it seemed like something wasn't right. Looking up at the man's face I noticed he had a scowl marring his features as he gazed at the doorway, his eyes now a deep forest green with anger. I could feel his grip slowly tightening on my hand as he slowly moved towards the door, his back now facing me once more. I uselessly struggled to get out of his grip as he dragged me closer and closer to the door, it was futile as he was stronger than me and the grass beneath my bare feet was slippery. As we drew closer and closer to the door I could feel and the smell the cold, dank stench of despair, and I opened my mouth to plead with the stranger to let me go and to come with me but realized I still couldn't make a sound. The forgotten panic and fear from before came back with a vengeance and I could feel pure terror and adrenaline race through my veins, struggling harder I managed to finally stop the man from walking forward and I sighed in relief thinking we could finally leave this place. It was when he turned around to face me again that world completely stopped as pain lanced through my heart. _

_His once soft lips were pulled back in a sneer which turned his face cold and as hard as marble, his teeth now sharp and glinting even though it was still fairly dark. His beautiful glowing skin had turned pale and ashen and his hand felt like granite around mine, rough with unseen calluses and it was as if he had grown taller and I felt suddenly small and weak. Out of all the changes though it was his eyes that scared me the most, they were so empty and void of any emotion, the once beautiful emerald green were now the same color as the endless black fog inside the doorway and it swirled as if something stirred just underneath the surface of his gaze. After the moment of shock I realized I could no longer trust this stranger and I struggled to free myself once again from his hands that were like metal chains around my wrists. Suddenly I found myself pulled and I crashed into his chest everything going black around me. It was now that I noticed I could hear everything again, I could hear soft whispered voices coming from the doorway, and the deep breaths of the man I was leaning against but strangely no heartbeat. I could also hear crickets in the distance and the sound of a clock chime, as he pulled me closer to him. His mouth was near my ear now and his breath was causing shivers down my spine as it blew across my exposed neck and finally his voice as he whispered in my ears, his voice a hiss of sound._

"_Forever Bella" and before I could react or move I felt a sharp pain in my side as if I had been stabbed. The sudden rush of warmth against my skin made me gasp and push back from his chest, vision returning once more. I looked down and found a long silver dagger buried to the hilt in my side. I _had_ been stabbed. I fell to my knees as the pain radiated through me and I could feel my heart beating faster, trying to get more blood through my veins, the world was going in slow motion as he knelt in front of me. His features had once again returned to the beautiful man I had seen outside the corner store and the last thing I saw before I succumbed to the surrounding blackness was a sad pair of emerald eyes._

Gasping for air I sprang up in bed, sweat was pouring down my face and neck and I was still grasping my side where I was sure I still felt pain. I realized that it was just a dream as I looked around the room, at first I was a bit disorientated but then I remembered I was in the manor in England. Leaning over to my bedside table I clutched my glass of water as it were a lifeline and brought it to my lips with shaky hands. After I got my pounding heart under control I looked over to the alarm clock and noticed it was only five in the morning, I was still very tired especially after my latest nightmare but I knew there wasn't going to be anymore sleep now so I got up, shrugged my dressing gown on and made my way to the kitchen. On my way there I passed the windows that faced the back gardens and my gaze was once again drawn to the gigantic maze of bushes. It must have been the fog or just the very dim lighting of the early morning but every hair on my body stood on end and shivers ran down my spine. Feeling suddenly very alone I walked to Uncle Benny's door and cracked it open a bit to see him happily snoring on his back, one leg dangling of the bed and the other almost joining it, smiling to myself I wandered over to him as quietly as I could and lifted his legs one by one so that he was back in the middle of the bed and after making sure he was covered once more I kissed him on his shiny forehead and made my way to the kitchen once more.

**Hi guys, I really need feedback on this story, I'm suffering from a terrible writing block and I need to know which stories I should continue writing, this one or Myth? comments good and bad would be marvelous... thanks :D**


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